Airbags. Not just hot air.
They’re new. They’re state-of-the-art. What on earth goes into making a wearable airbag?
Most of us associate airgbags with car technology, but companies such as Dainese and Alpinestars are already offering jackets and leathers with the technology built in.
To get our heads around all the hows, whats and whys, we talked to Dainese D-air Technical Manager Tommaso Guseo. MCM: Where did the idea of airbags in motorcycle leathers come from?
TG: The idea of airbags in motorcycle leathers comes from an intuition of Lino Dainese in 1994.
After a dive using an inflatable buoyancy compensator jacket, Lino Dainese grabbed a paper napkin in a beach bar nearby and drew his idea for an airbag that protects the human body. Only in 2000, Dainese began the development of the airbag with Israeli company Merhav AAP, which had the military-derived technologies needed to make the system: the first functioning D-air prototype was made.
We had to wait until 2006, partnering with the University of Padua, before work on designing the triggering algorithm for the Racing version began. MCM: What were the main difficulties in creating a fully functioning airbag for motorcyclists? TG: The main difficulties found in creating an airbag for motorcyclists are: • Comprehension of accident dynamics and contextualisation of different needs of street and racing usage
• Data collection and algorithm development
• Integration of parts in a garment. MCM: Which parts of the body does the airbag protect, and does it do that better than traditional armour?
TG: Protected parts are different in road and racing products. If we consider 2019 products, the road products mainly protect the chest, while in a racing environment the main protected part are shoulders.
When the airbag is inflated, it protects much more than a traditional armour. For example, in a traditional chest protector the average residual transmitted force with and impact of 50J is at most 20kN, while an airbag in the same test conditions must have an average residual transmitted force of at most 2.5kN. The D-Air airbag technology is eight times more protecting than traditional level 1 armour. MCM: How has the technology developed from the first model to the current version?
TG: Following on from the first version in 2000, in 2005 Dainese started the development of two different platforms: D-air Street designed for road users with sensors on the motorbike, D-air Racing for race track environment with sensors integrated in the aerodynamic hump. From the first external airbags, the bag was then integrated inside the garment using an exclusive internal structure that enabled precise control of its inflation and shape. This made it possible for the entire system to be integrated in a racing suit with an outer layer that stretches upon inflation and subsequently pulls the airbag back into its stowed position, meaning the rider no longer needs to ditch it before getting back into the race. In 2015 Dainese started to bring a standalone system from race track to the road, reducing the complexity of the system. MCM: Can you see the technology being used elsewhere (trousers, for instance)?
TG: Of course the D-air technology shall be used in any environment or area where traditional protectors are not ergonomic. Right now we use the same technology to protect skiers and to start analysis for workers. MCM: What are the differences between racing airbags and those designed for road riders? TG: The differences between racing and road airbags are:
ROAD:
• Accident context: Mainly unknown; any road is different and a lot of obstacles are present next to the rider.
• Activation condition: For road users the most critical condition is a crash with another vehicle (normally a car): different algorithm.
• Protected areas: From medical studies, the most important area to protect is the chest, since the user does not wear a thorax protector.
RACING:
• Accident context: Mainly known; safety way out, safety area, air fence, very few obstacles next to the rider.
• Activation condition: In a racing environment the most dangerous event is the high side or low side with tumbling: different algorithm.
• Protected areas: From medical studies, the most important area to protect is the shoulder, since in a high side it is the most exposed part of the body. MCM: Can the airbag be re-used after it has been deployed? TG: The bag itself, no. It shall be replaced since it contains the air
canister that inflates the airbag, and we want to be sure that the system is fully operative for the next inflation. The electronic and other parts are re-used. MCM: How much weight does the technology add to a jacket?
TG: Depends on the product, but if you consider a jacket with a back protector and you compare it to a D-Air jacket of 2019 collection, the difference in weight is only 700g. If you consider a jacket without a back protector the difference is 1000g.